PAUL I. IN THE PRISON OF KOSCIUSKO.
[One of the first acts of Paul, immediately on the death of the empress, was to visit Kosciusko in prison and assure him of his kindness and consideration. He gave him his liberty, and also offered him a pension, which the noble Pole indignantly refused.]
He slept—the Polish warrior slept—and o'er his haunted mind
Swept visions of departed days, the glorious, the unkind,
When from his hearth the peasant rose, and from his hall the chief,
And buckled on the sword, and vowed to die, or give relief;—
For the foeman's foot was on the soil,—the soil they called their own,—
His arm suspended o'er their heads, his eye upon the throne.
Swept visions of departed days, the glorious, the unkind,
When from his hearth the peasant rose, and from his hall the chief,
And buckled on the sword, and vowed to die, or give relief;—
For the foeman's foot was on the soil,—the soil they called their own,—
His arm suspended o'er their heads, his eye upon the throne.
Once more upon the battle-field—once more upon the field,
He stood the chosen one of all, the last one who would yield;
With love of country strong at heart, with courage in his eye,
Reliance in his little band, and trust within the sky.
He stood the chosen one of all, the last one who would yield;
With love of country strong at heart, with courage in his eye,
Reliance in his little band, and trust within the sky.
